Consultant
by Polyphoenix
Summary: Sometimes a consultant isn't JUST a consultant. Coulson's team meets someone knew.


The potential for intertwining stories within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is something that fascinates me. There's so much potential there. I know we've seen cameos from Maria Hill and Nick Fury, but what if they go for more than just a cameo? What if they actually enlist some star power for the season finale? Here's a little scene that popped in my head and took me an hour or two to type out. Hope you like. Please feel free to let me know. For now it's a one shot, but who knows? Maybe we'll do a little more exploration into other potential encounters in the future.

I don't own any of the characters within the Marvel Universe. I'm just here to play.

* * *

"What's with Coulson and Mister All-American over there?"

Skye stepped loudly off the bottom stair, her boots clanging loudly against the jet's steel floor before settling in next to her training agent at the back of the cargo deck just outside the lab doors. Ward had been silently watching and waiting, his arms crossed across his chest in a manner only he could really seem to pull off. Maybe it was all a result of agent training and he just hadn't gotten around to teaching her the brooding part yet?

At the foot of the plane's open ramp their intrepid team leader was having a discussion with a new, mystery blonde guy. A really tall, really...really impressively broad blond guy that had apparently ridden up on a classic Harley. The man in question was clearly pleased to see the senior agent, smiling broadly after they'd shaken hands. But the truly weird thing was how Coulson seemed almost alight speaking to the man. It was a very alien look on his normally placid face. Obviously the two knew each other, but this also had the look of being something...different?

Then again, Coulson seemed to know just about everybody. I mean...he even knew the God of freakin' Thunder. That _had _to put him in pretty select company.

"You remember we were gonna take on a consultant for this next assignment?"

Skye nodded, at which point Ward gestured in the direction of the new face. "Well," he said, "meet our consultant."

"Aw man." She put on her best pout, crossing her arms to match Ward and leaning back against the metal crate next to the SHIELD agent. "Sucks. I was really hoping for an appearance from _the_ Tony Stark. I mean how much fun would that be, right?" Ward just ignored her. "And what _is _with the whole consultant thing anyway? Haven't we proved we can handle things on our own? They gotta go and send someone over to futz with our mojo."

Agent Ward glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye. "Mojo?"

And that was about the time the big blond object of their attention removed his bulky leather riding jacket to reveal the short sleeved polo shirt he had on underneath it. And the not insignificant amount of muscle beneath said shirt. And when Skye said insignificant she really meant holy crap. She also immediately, but completely coincidentally reconsidered her previous stance.

"Okay…"she managed, "so maybe things aren't as bad as I thought. Ya know, maybe our mojo could use a little bit of...futzing." She cocked her head, staring at the man as he pivoted to drape the jacket across the big cycle's handlebars, giving them both a view of one very large back. "And seriously does he ever leave the gym? Pretty sure his bicep is the size of my waist. I mean, that's really just...just...really..."

Ward just sent her one of his patented part pained, part indifferent looks. She just rolled her eyes back at the man. Like that ever worked.

But it was enough for her to change subjects. "So, what's his story anyway? Who's our mystery man?"

Next to her his jaw flexed in frustration and he turned back to watch the two. "That's the thing. I really have no idea. I tried, but couldn't find anything on him. He either doesn't exist or his clearance is above mine." The agent frowned at that implication. "And there's not much that's above me."

May, one of the other senior agents on board, chose that time to make her way quietly down the spiral staircase, her normal neutral, almost bored expression set firmly into place as she reached the bottom step, stopping on Ward's other side.

Skye smiled brightly, an expression that didn't reach her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't know either since pretty much everything's above me." God she hated being in the dark. It was probably some sort of hacker thing. Whatever. She looked back at her boss and the mystery consultant. Outwardly he certainly seemed to fall more in line with Ward or May's avenue of expertise than with her own or Fitz and Simmons. Muscles like that didn't really scream lab rat. Although looks could be deceiving. They _had _encountered an Asgardian that one time that she _really _hadn't seen coming after all.

And then Mister Tall, Blond and Impossibly Muscular leaned back, sitting on the rear of the classic red corvette that their Agent in Charge was so unhealthily attached to right in front of said agent. Ward chuckled darkly and mumbled something under his breath. Skye went so far as to utter an "Uh oh." May just arched one of her eyebrows. But that really was about all the expression of surprise they ever got out of her.

Skye shook her head sadly. And he had such nice muscles too. "Crap," she muttered without thinking. "Well, Coulson's gonna kill the new consultant before I get to touch his arm."

Eliciting the rare double eyebrow raise from May, Coulson didn't do much of anything, looking on appreciatively as the man gestured to the car, clearly asking something about it. There wasn't even the hint of a scowl on the man. Who was this guy?

"What the crap?" Skye finally managed, picking her jaw up off the floor. Rumor had it one cargo handler had been reassigned to Alaska for pretty much exactly what the new consultant was doing right now. "Did I miss something? What just happened?"

"Childhood heroes can get away with just about anything."

The new voice made Skye nearly jump out of her skin. Heck, even Ward and May seemed surprised given how fast both of their heads snapped around.

Skye was a little less...reserved than that.

"What the _crap!" _was what came out. Thankfully the string of objectionable language cycling through her head stayed right where it was.

There was a slight, attractive, trim figured redhead standing a mere foot from them all in a relaxed position, also leaning against one of the steel cargo canisters dotting the hold and watching the scene on the loading ramp unfold just like the rest of them. She had a SHIELD jacket on, the logo plainly visible on the shoulder, but everything else about her was kept casual. Nothing overly remarkable, she wore jeans and a tank top under the jacket, the shock of bright auburn hair pulled back in a long ponytail, but her face had a kind of strangely serene impassiveness to it. Like nothing fazed her. In fact, it looked kinda weirdly like May's normal facade of neutrality.

And how in the _hell_ had the woman managed to get that close anyway? The floor was steel. You made a racket on it tip-toeing. Weird. And how long had she been standing there too? Okay, so maybe not weird so much as...creepy.

Her heartbeat finally returning to some semblance of normalcy Skye looked the new addition up and down again. "Who the heck are you?"

The woman shrugged indifferently without looking at her. "A consultant."

"A consu...another? Wait, so now we're getting two instead of one?" Skye asked, directing it at nobody in particular. "I mean, this plane is only _so _big, right? And what _is _this next mission anyway? Are we invading Europe?"

For some reason that last part seemed to amuse the stealthy redhead.

"You must be the computer hacker," the woman said instead, completely ignoring the questions. "They said you talked a lot."

"They?"

"May." The diminutive redhead nodded her head the tiniest amount, looking past Skye towards the quietest member of Coulson's team. There was no smile though. No hint of warmth or friendliness. Maybe a bit of grudging respect at least. Maybe.

Melinda nodded the slightest bit back, not even bothering to look at her. "Romanoff."

It wasn't overt, but Skye could practically feel Ward tense next to her at the mention of the woman's name, his head and eyes immediately darting toward the mystery woman as he uncrossed his arms, keeping them rigidly at his side like he was preparing to do battle, but trying to hide the fact. What the hell?

When nobody said anything to explain just what the hell was going on Skye groaned. "Is this another one of those Sector 7 things that I'm not going to understand and that's really going to annoy the crap out of me?" she asked.

Whoever this Romanoff woman was smirked at Ward, clearly amused by his reaction, but turned to face Skye anyway, holding out her hand genially enough. "Natasha Romanoff," she said. Skye didn't miss the way Ward tensed all over again when she reached out and shook the offered hand. The redhead, Romanoff, nodded toward Ward and May. "I guess I come with a bit of a reputation."

Skye glanced at Ward. "Um...I guess," she managed, unsure of what they were talking about.

"She's being modest." It was the first words out of May other than the woman's name since she'd come down. "I think infamous is the more appropriate term."

"You know," Romanoff said, directing the words to May, "Budapest was a long time ago. Are me and Barton ever going to live that down?"

May shrugged the slightest bit. "New York helped."

New York? Skye frowned. Again...what the hell?

Before she could give word to how much fun it was being the only one left in the dark on this Agent May finally showed some pity on her, nodding again to indicate the redhead. "Agent Romanoff here is one of the few SHIELD operatives to have codeword clearance. Most of the people in SHIELD know who she is, but at the same time most people in SHIELD don't actually _know _who she is."

"Oooookay," Skye said, trying to keep up. God the world of clandestine security agencies was confusing. "So, who _is _she?"

May looked pointedly at the other woman. "Codename Black Widow."

Romanoff smiled thinly at the computer hacker as though to confirm the statement. Skye shot up off the cargo crate in a blur, her mind whirring. "Holy crap! You're an Avenger." She may or may not have been bouncing up and down a little in excitement too. She didn't care. They had a real, live Avenger in their cargo hold and she was meeting her.

The Black Widow just rolled her eyes. "I hate that name."

Skye was already looking at Ward though. "We're consulting with an actual Avenger," she said delightedly. "A real, honest-to-god superhero!"

"Hardly," Romanoff muttered under her breath, but she was smirking again. She stuck her chin out, indicating the blond guy still chatting with Coulson. "He's the superhero."

Skye spun around so fast she nearly stumbled into Ward to look again at the other consultant. He was standing up again, walking with the senior agent to the back of the corvette. "Him? So, that would be...he's…"

"Captain Steve Rogers," the Black Widow said, finishing the sentence.

Right then the man hoisted an old green army duffel out of Lola's trunk, slinging the giant bag easily over his shoulder. A round disc followed soon after. When he turned back to Coulson the iconic red, blue, and white shield was staring back at the four of them.

Even May's eyes had gotten pretty wide at seeing that.

The Black Widow just smirked at the gawking team and started walking casually away. "But you might know him by a different name."

For the first time the blond consultant...Captain America, Skye reminded herself, she was watching _the _Captain America...looked over at her, Ward, and May, smiling pleasantly and nodding to acknowledge the three of them.

"Oh my god. Best mission _ever_." Skye managed rather squeakily.


End file.
